Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1887-04-07
WASHINGTON LETTER
Irrom Our Regular Correspondent


The most novel event which VIII
happen In Washington this year will
be the National drill during the last
week In May. The managers of the
affair predict that II will unquestiona-
bly, be the greatest spectacle in the way
of massing superb, civic military COM
panies the world has ever seen. Mill.
tary displays are always popular.
Whether paraded in peace or exhibit
ed in conflict, the gay uniforms, the
FURNISHED arms, the martial music, the
shrill piping of the flies, the rattling
drums. ''the heroic voices of the bugles"
the flying banners, the prancing steeds,
and the ghostly city of tents all APP
peal to the senses and spirit of the peo-
pie.
State and other local drills have
been held at different places, some of
them meeting with signal success, but
no National Drill has ever before been
attempted. and one could not be car
ried ont elsewhere than at the Capital.
The affairs of the coming drill have
been excellently managed. Several
weeks ago the committee had in hand
over S25. 900 to expend on the display,
and more recently subscriptions OF
from $500 to 81. 900 each, have been
declined because all money necessary
had already been subscribed ond paid
In.
The camping ground will be that ly-
ing around the Washington Monu-
ment. The drill ground will be the
beautiful, level elipse, half mile in
circumference, lying south of the
White House, and which is called the
White Lot. Here. daily, will be held
the contests to prove The excellence of
the citizen soldiery, infantry, ARTILLERY,
cavalry, and zouave tactics.
There will be contending companies,
if not rival regiments, from many parts
of the country. The East and West
North and South will be here with
their bands and drum-corps. The lake
and gulf sections will be represented
and indeed the whole country from
Sandy Hook to the Golden Gate, from
Castine to San Diego, from Seattle to
Key West will be here to drill for the
prizes. Besides the distribution OF
500, 500 in cash prizes, there will be
stands of colors, medals in gold, silver
and bronze, special medals and plate
trophies.
The drill, which will begin on the
23rd, of May, will last nine days and
close on Decoration Day" Each
evening there will be grand brigade
dress parade, and on Governors Day
and Decoration Day the entire army
corps from Camp George Washington
will parade the broad avenues of the
city. Each evening during the drill
the grounds will be illuminated for
promenade concerts ard for other at
tEScttbiosnSs WHICH are now being prepared
Not only will all sections. of the coun-
try send their volunteer soldiery to
compete for the prizes, but the latter
will bring a ong their sisters and their
cousins and their aunts to witness
their brilliant achievements. The
number of military to be here Is esti-
mated at twenty thousand and the
number of visiting spectators expect
ed to be present is from two hundred
thousand to three hundred thousand
1t will doubtless be the largest gather
ing seen here since the grand review
Mt the close of the war.
An immense multitude of people is
always interesting in itself and to it.
self, and one very important feature
of the affair is the provision for board
and shelter. Washington is city of
hotels and boarding-bouses 1t was
not crowded during the Cleveland in
!auguration, although there were said
to be hundreds of thousands of visit
ors here then.
There is no more interesting city in
: America than Washington, and May
finds it in its glory, Nowadays every
body who has seen it ever afterwards
considers the education of everybody
who has not visited the Capital incom-
plete. One of the chief things that
this ''show city" lacks is something to
draw the people here once or twice a
year in great numbers, and it has been
proposed that the National Drill be
made permanent institution, as pre-
valent and regular as Congress. AT
any rate, the city, with its marble halls
and asphalt streets, its historic spots
and beautiful surroundings. with
Mount Vernon, Georgetown, Bladens-
burg, Arlington, the Potomac. and
with Harpers Ferry and the Cheese
peoke but short distance away, offers
you many inducements for a week 8
visit in May.